Chapter 2: Korea’s top 3 delicacies, PC room ramen

After eating tteokbokki, I took a nap, overcome by drowsiness.

‘Hopefully, I won’t wake up as a man again, right?’ I had worried about that, but thankfully, it didn’t happen.

Growl—

My stomach was still reminding me I was in a woman’s body.

‘How am I hungry again when I just ate tteokbokki?’

I decided to accept it.
I can’t become a frail, tragic beauty.

I never really enjoyed eating.

‘Guess you could say I ate to survive.’

Since I didn’t have much money, I filled my fridge with cheap, filling food, so I rarely had the chance to eat anything delicious.

I didn’t mind too much.
I wasn’t usually hungry even if I skipped meals.

‘That’s how it used to be…’

But now, a problem has arisen.
Specifically, with me, now in a woman’s body.

I finally understand the saying, ‘Women have a separate stomach for meals and dessert.’
Hunger feels twice—no, five times—stronger now.

My sense of taste is also heightened.
The days when a spoonful of rice and a piece of seaweed satisfied me feel like a lie.

The newfound joy in food’s subtle flavors and textures feels so foreign to me.

Growl—

This is bad.
Ignoring my hunger is starting to hurt.

‘How much money do I have left…?’

Cash in my wallet: 0 won.
Wait, no, 850 won if you count coins.

Money in my Cocoa Bank account: about 200,000 won.

After paying university tuition with my savings, I’m left with barely enough for living expenses.

Delivery food, with a minimum cost of 20,000 won, feels a bit burdensome for a solo meal.
Especially since I don’t have a freezer or microwave.

As I rummaged through my worn-out wallet with a heavy heart, my small, pale fingers caught my eye.

Every time I see them, it hits me that I’m a woman now.

‘Wait a second. What about my personal info?’

What if only my appearance changed, but my name and ID still say I’m a man?
That’d be kind of a bummer.

I checked my ID through the transparent slot in my wallet.
Thankfully, everything had been updated.

My resident registration number’s last digit changed from 3 to 4, and my name went from Jin Yuhyun to Jin Yuna, with just the last character altered.

The family register listed Jin Yuna, not Jin Yuhyun, and even the real estate contract I kept safe had the name Jin Yuna.

Then, buried among the papers, a university tuition receipt caught my eye.
I froze, staring at it.

Come to think of it, classes start next week.

‘So…’

I have to go to a crowded place in this unadjusted state?
And attend university as a woman? That wasn’t part of my plan…

“…”

After standing there blankly for a while, I slapped both cheeks with my palms.
A soft smack came from my squishy cheeks.

“Ouch…”

But it cleared my head, letting me view things more objectively.

Since I already paid tuition, I have to attend university, woman’s body or not.
Maybe it’s even a good thing.

Since I’m facing reality now, I decided to assess my situation and set a direction forward.

What mindset should I have? What’s my ultimate life goal?
The answer was simple.

‘Live an easy life.’

Since I’m a woman now, I absolutely can’t give up on an easy life.
I’d rather die than give that up.

My original goal was to ‘become a frail, tragic beauty and live off people’s sympathy and pity.’

But my complexion is too healthy.
Far from tragic, my lips and skin are glowing.

‘Guess that’s what happens when you eat tteokbokki so eagerly last night.’

Fine, I’ll admit it.
My body’s too healthy to be a frail, tragic beauty, so living off sympathy is out.

But if I think about it, there are plenty of ways to live an easy life.

Like what?

‘Oh, right. Gaming streams!’

Come to think of it, I was pretty good at gaming.

In PUBG, I’d win a chicken dinner at least once every five matches.
In League, I consistently hit Platinum, and if I tried hard, I could reach Diamond.

And now?
I’m a woman.
A very pretty one, at that.

Silver hair, red eyes, and Diamond tier? That’s pretty rare.

‘Okay, forget frail and tragic. I’ll be a pro-gamer beauty.’

I’ll stream as a skilled, beautiful gamer girl.
Turn on a webcam? I could live the easy life in no time.

Why didn’t I think of this sooner?
It’s way better than torturing my body.

This could really work.
My anxiety and frustration vanished, replaced by an inexplicable excitement.

One concern: it’s been a while since I went to a PC bang.
Not that my gaming skills have gone anywhere.

“I’m so hungry…”

My hunger was pushing past its limit, and my vision was starting to blur.

Then, I recalled a sign I saw at the PC bang near my place last Friday night.

[New Semester Event – Feb 10 to Mar 10, Ramen for 1,000 won! Half price!]

PC bang ramen.

I brushed it off as ‘Guess PC bangs are struggling for customers’ last Friday, but now the sign felt almost dramatic.

Cup ramen after swimming,
Auto-cooked ramen by the Han River,
PC bang ramen.

One of the three legendary ramens for just 1,000 won.
…Is that even possible?

Overwhelmed with gratitude and emotion, I thought,

‘I need to check if my gaming skills are still sharp anyway.’

There’s no reason not to go to the PC bang.
Suddenly in high spirits, I forgot my hunger and jumped up.

‘To the PC bang!’

‘…Wait a sec.’

Do I have anything to wear?

Kim Suho, six months into his job at Iron PC Bang.
Today, he’s bored as usual.

PC bangs are less eventful than you’d think.
At most, the self-service machine breaks, or a homeless person comes in to sleep.

It was fun when he first started, but after half a year underground, watching people game, he’s tempted to just play TFT on a random open PC.

Staring blankly past the counter, as usual,

‘A girl?’

A surprising sight snapped him into focus.

A petite girl, wearing an oversized hoodie that engulfed her frame.

PC bangs mostly attract male customers, so a girl coming alone at this late hour is rare.
Plus,

‘…Isn’t she cold?’

Spring is coming, but it’s still chilly.
Yet her thin legs were bare under the giant hoodie.

Kim Suho’s gaze moved from her legs to her head.

Through the oversized hood, he saw silver hair—too glossy to be a wig, but too unusual to be natural.

‘Is that the trendy ash-gray dye or something?’

He recalled hearing that Russians find Korean winters too warm and wear sleeveless tops or t-shirts even in winter.

‘No way she’s a foreigner, right?’

He couldn’t see her face, but her unique hair color and pale skin didn’t seem very Korean.

‘Hope I don’t have to explain the self-service machine.’

Fresh from a delivery run, Kim Suho just wanted to chill.
Then, he saw the login name pop up on the counter PC and relaxed.

[Jin Yuna]

[02:59]
[www.nave…]

Good. She’s Korean.

Relieved, Kim Suho propped his chin up and watched her movements.
In his boring routine, her unusual presence was enough to spark his curiosity.

She sat at a PC where the screen was visible from the counter.
She was staring intently at the popular game icons on the desktop.

‘Maybe she’ll play MapleStory? Or League?’

When girls come to PC bangs, it’s usually with their boyfriends.
They often just check social media or do assignments.

In rare cases, girls come alone and play cute games like MapleStory, though some play League—always picking champs like Lulu or Yuumi.

He’s never seen a girl play top lane in solo queue.
If he did, he’d have asked for her number.

Lost in random thoughts, his focus blurred again.

Bzzz—

A familiar sound echoed loudly through the PC bang.

Startled, Kim Suho’s gaze shifted to the source.

There, a girl with a male character in a helmet and the [KILL THE GROUNDS] logo—a game very familiar to FPS players—was on the screen.

Nearby male customers, disturbed by the sudden epic sound, took off their headsets and looked her way.
Curious glances mixed with annoyed ones converged on her seat.

Unfazed, she put on her headset and swiftly adjusted display settings, graphics, and sensitivity.

In less than 30 seconds, she finished all the settings.

‘Whoa, what’s this?’

A rare female FPS pro?

With settings done, she started quick matchmaking.
Not solo, but a one-person squad.

Now, he was really intrigued.

‘She’s confident, huh?’

As she dropped from the parachute, she began looting with dazzling speed.
The fast-moving screen somehow exuded the aura of a pro.

What kind of play would she show?

Forgetting the order alert, Kim Suho was completely absorbed in her screen.